The Truth About How Porn Affects Your Sex Life

Is porn addictive? Does it cause penis problems? Here’s what the research really shows

A growing chorus is claiming that porn is addictive, that it promotes misogyny and sexual violence, that it leads to riskier sex, and that it's creating an epidemic of erectile dysfunction and destroying relationships.

Porn use is related to less—not more—misogyny and sexual violence.

A recent Canadian study using a large, nationally representative dataset found that people who watched adult films in the last year were stronger supporters of gender equality than those who hadn’t watched any such films.

In addition, other research has found that, rather than being linked to increased rates of rape and sexual assault, porn use is related to less sexual violence.

People who watch more porn don’t necessarily have riskier sex.

That’s right: Recent research from Germany has found that heavy porn users are no more likely to forgo using condoms than those who use porn infrequently or not at all.

The research suggests that men who watch the most porn don’t seem to be any more likely to have erectile difficulties than men who watch less porn. Men also don’t seem to become “desensitized” to sexual stimuli after watching a lot of porn.

Porn can actually be good for your relationship.

Recent research has found that couples who watch porn together are more sexually satisfied than those who don’t watch XXX videos.

Why? It’s probably because porn is an easy way to inject novelty and excitement into your sex life.

But this doesn’t mean porn is completely harmless for everyone.

There’s one caveat you should be aware of: This summary of the research is not meant to suggest that porn never causes any problems.

Certain types of people who watch certain types of porn may very well experience negative effects.

For example, one study suggests that men who are low in the personality trait of agreeableness—that is, guys who have less care and concern for others—and who watch really hardcore stuff risk developing more sexist attitudes as a result.

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Another study found that college students who morally disapprove of porn are more likely to feel distressed and upset about their own porn use.

In other words, although porn is not linked to negative outcomes overall, there are certain subsets of people for whom it may be problematic—and more research is needed in order to help clarify for whom and under what circumstances porn is linked to harm.

Justin Lehmiller, Ph.D., is an assistant professor of social psychology at Ball State University. A version of this article originally appeared on his blog, Sex & Psychology.

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